The major advantages of a GDI engine are increased fuel efficiency and high power output. Emissions levels can also be more accurately controlled with the GDI system. The cited gains are achieved by the precise control over the amount of fuel and injection timings that are varied according to engine load. In addition some engines operate on full air intake. That is, there is no air throttle plate eliminating air throttling losses in some GDI engines, when compared to a conventional fuel-injected or carbureted engine, which greatly improves efficiency, and reduces piston 'pumping losses'. Engine speed is controlled by the engine control unit/engine management system (EMS), which regulates fuel injection function and ignition timing, instead of having a throttle plate that restricts the incoming air supply. Adding this function to the EMS requires considerable enhancement of its processing and memory, as direct injection plus the engine speed management must have very precise algorithms for good performance and drivability.

The engine management system continually chooses among three combustion modes: ultra lean burn, stoichiometric, and full power output. Each mode is characterized by the air-fuel ratio. The stoichiometric air-fuel ratio for gasoline is 14.7:1 by weight (mass), but ultra lean mode can involve ratios as high as 65:1 (or even higher in some engines, for very limited periods). These mixtures are much leaner than in a conventional engine and reduce fuel consumption considerably.

Ultra lean burn or stratified charge mode is used for light-load running conditions, at constant or reducing road speeds, where no acceleration is required. The fuel is not injected at the intake stroke but rather at the latter stages of the compression stroke. The combustion takes place in a cavity on the piston's surface which has a toroidal or an ovoidal shape, and is placed either in the center (for central injector), or displaced to one side of the piston that is closer to the injector. The cavity creates the swirl effect so that the small amount of air-fuel mixture is optimally placed near the spark plug. This stratified charge is surrounded mostly by air and residual gases, which keeps the fuel and the flame away from the cylinder walls. Decreased combustion temperature allows for lowest emissions and heat losses and increases air quantity by reducing dilation, which delivers additional power. This technique enables the use of ultra-lean mixtures that would be impossible with carburetors or conventional fuel injection.[1][2][3]

Stoichiometric mode is used for moderate load conditions. Fuel is injected during the intake stroke, creating a homogeneous fuel-air mixture in the cylinder. From the stoichiometric ratio, an optimum burn results in a clean exhaust emission, further cleaned by the catalytic converter.

Full power mode is used for rapid acceleration and heavy loads (as when climbing a hill). The air-fuel mixture is homogeneous and the ratio is slightly richer than stoichiometric, which helps prevent detonation (pinging). The fuel is injected during the intake stroke.

It is also possible to inject fuel more than once during a single cycle. After the first fuel charge has been ignited, it is possible to add fuel as the piston descends. The benefits are more power and economy, However, certain octane fuels have caused exhaust valve erosion.[citation needed]

Tuning up an early generation FSI power plant to generate higher power is difficult, since the only time it is possible to inject fuel is during the induction phase. Conventional injection engines can inject throughout the 4-stroke sequence, as the injector squirts onto the back of a closed valve. A direct injection engine, where the injector injects directly into the cylinder, is limited to the intake stroke of the piston. As the RPM increases, the time available to inject fuel decreases. Newer FSI systems that have sufficient fuel pressure to inject even late in compression phase do not suffer to the same extent; however, they still do not inject during the exhaust cycle (they could but it would just waste fuel). Hence, all other factors being equal, an FSI engine needs higher-capacity injectors to achieve the same power as a conventional engine. Some engines overcome this limitation by using both direct injection and multiport fuel injection (Toyota 2GR-FSE V6).

The first post-World War I example of direct gasoline injection was on the Hesselman engine invented by Swedish engineerJonas Hesselman in 1925.[5][6] Hesselman engines used the ultra lean burn principle and injected the fuel in the end of the compression stroke and then ignited it with a spark plug, it was often started on gasoline and then switched over to run on diesel or kerosene. The Hesselman engine was a low compression design constructed to run on heavy fuel oils.

The first automotive direct injection system used to run on gasoline was developed by Bosch, and was introduced by Goliath and Gutbrod in 1952. This was basically a high-pressure diesel direct-injection pump with an intake throttle valve set up. (Diesels only change the amount of fuel injected to vary output; there is no throttle.) This system used a normal gasoline fuel pump, to provide fuel to a mechanically driven injection pump, which had separate plungers per injector to deliver a very high injection pressure directly into the combustion chamber. The 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL, the first production sports car to use fuel injection, used direct injection. The Bosch fuel injectors were placed into the bores on the cylinder wall used by the spark plugs in other Mercedes-Benz six-cylinder engines (the spark plugs were relocated to the cylinder head). Later, more mainstream applications of fuel injection favored the less-expensive indirect injection methods.

Research was conducted in the early 1970s with the backing of American Motors Corporation (AMC) to develop a Straticharge Continuous Fuel-Injection (SCFI) system.[7] The conventional spark ignited internal combustion AMC straight-6 engine was modified with a redesigned cylinder head. The system incorporated a mechanical device that automatically responded to the engine’s airflow and loading conditions with two separate fuel-control pressures supplied to two sets of continuous-flow injectors.[8] Flexibility was designed into the SCFI system for trimming it to a particular engine.[9] Prototype "straticharge" engine road testing was performed using a 1973 AMC Hornet, but the mechanical fuel controls had teething problems.[10]

The Ford Motor Company developed a stratified-charge engine in the late 1970s called "PROCO" (programmed combustion)[11][12] using a unique high-pressure pump and direct injectors. At least one hundred and fifteen (115) Crown Victoria cars were built at Ford's Atlanta Assembly in Hapeville, Georgia using a PROCO V8 engine. The project was canceled for several reasons: electronic controls, a key element, were in their infancy; pump and injector costs were extremely high; and lean combustion produced nitrogen oxides in excess of near future United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) limits.[13] Also, the PROCO system was being launched in the late 1970s, a time of the second "gas crisis" in the US, which drove fuel costs higher. PROCO had been initially developed for Ford's 460 Cubic inch V8 engine line, later applied to the 351, and eventually the 302. Because the extreme fuel cost spike, Ford was unsure of the future market for V8 engines, and chose not to commit to such an expensive technology in unstable times.

In 1996 gasoline direct injection reappeared in the automotive market. Mitsubishi was the first with a GDI engine in the Japanese market with its Galant/Legnum's 4G93 1.8 L inline-four.[14][15] It was subsequently brought to Europe in 1997 in the Carisma,[16] although the engine was a failure due to high emissions and poor fuel efficiency.[17] It also developed the first six-cylinder GDI powerplant, the 6G74 3.5 L V6, in 1997.[18] Mitsubishi applied this technology widely, producing over one million GDI engines in four families by 2001.[19] Although in use for many years, on September 11, 2001 MMC claimed a trademark for the acronym 'GDI' (with an uppercase final "I").[20]

In 1998, Toyota's D4 direct injection system first appeared on various Japanese market vehicles equipped with the SZ and NZ engines.[22][23][24] Toyota later introduced its D4 system to European markets with the 1AZ-FSE engine found in the 2001 Avensis.[25] and US markets in 2005 with the 3GR-FSE engine found in the Lexus GS 300. Toyota's 2GR-FSE V6 first found in the Lexus IS 350 uses a more advanced direct injection system, which combines both direct and indirect injection using two fuel injectors per cylinder, a traditional port fuel injector (low pressure) and a direct fuel injector (high-pressure) in a system known as D4-S.[26]

In 1999, Renault introduced the 2.0 IDE (Injection Directe Essence),[27] first on the Megane. Rather than following the lean burn approach, Renault's design uses high ratios of exhaust gas recirculation to improve economy at low engine loads, with direct injection allowing the fuel to be concentrated around the spark.[28] Later gasoline direct injection engines have been tuned and marketed for their high performance as well as increased fuel efficiency. PSA Peugeot Citroën, Hyundai, and Volvo entered into a development agreements and licensed Mitsubishi's GDI technology in 1999.[29][30][31][32][33] The Mitsubishi engines were also produced in the NedCar factory and used in the 1.8 L Carisma and the GDI-powered Volvo S40/V40 models.[34][35]

In 2002, the Alfa Romeo156 with a direct-injection engine, the JTS (Jet Thrust Stoichiometric) went on sale[38] and today the technology is used on almost every Alfa Romeo engine.

In 2003, Ford debuted a 1.8 L Duratec SCi naturally aspirated engine for the Mondeo.[39] Ford introduced its first European Ford engine to use direct injection technology in 2001, badged SCi (Smart Charge injection) for Direct-Injection-Spark-Ignition (DISI).[39] The range will include some turbocharged derivatives, including the 1.0 L, three-cylinder turbocharged unit showcased at the 2002 Geneva Show.[39]

In 2003, BMW introduced a low-pressure gasoline direct injection N73V12.[40] This initial BMW setup could not enter lean-burn mode, but the company introduced its second-generation High Precision Injection (HPI) system on the new turbocharged N54straight-6 in 2006, which used high-pressure injectors.[41] This system surpasses many others with a wider envelope of lean-burn time, increasing overall efficiency.[42] PSA is cooperating with BMW on a new line of engines that made its first appearance in the 2007 MINI Cooper S. Honda released their own direct injection system on the Stream sold in Japan.[43] Honda's fuel injector is placed directly atop the cylinder at a 90-degree angle rather than a slanted angle.[43]

In 2004Isuzu produced the first GDi engine sold in a mainstream American vehicle, standard on the 2004 Axiom and optional on the 2004 Rodeo. Isuzu claimed the benefit of GDi is that the vaporizing fuel has a cooling effect, allowing a higher compression ratio (10.3:1 versus 9.1:1) that boosts output by 20 hp (15 kW), and that 0-to-60 mph times drop from 8.9 to just 7.5 seconds, with the quarter-mile being cut from 16.5 to 15.8 seconds.[44]

In 2005, Mazda began to use their own version of direct-injection in the Mazdaspeed6 and later on the CX-7 sport-utility, and the new Mazdaspeed3 in the US and European market. It is referred to as Direct Injection Spark Ignition (DISI).

In 2006, BMW released the new N54 twin-turbo-charged direct injection inline-six engine for its 335i Coupe and later for the 335i Sedan, 535i series. and the 135i models.[45][46]Mercedes-Benz released its direct injection system (Charged Gasoline Injection, or "CGI") on the CLS 350 CGI featuring common rail, piezo-electric direct fuel injectors. The CLS 350 CGI offers 292 BHP versus 272 BHP for the CLS 350, with reduced carbon dioxide emissions and improved fuel economy.[47]Audi also released its V8 engine with FSI technology in Audi R8 that can produce 424 BHP with low carbon emission and more fuel economy.[48][49]

In 2007, Ford introduced its EcoBoost engine technology designed for a range of vehicles. The engine first appeared in the 2007 Lincoln MKR Concept under the name TwinForce.[50] The EcoBoost family of 4-cylinder and 6-cylinder engines features turbocharging and direct injection technology (GTDI - Gasoline Turbocharged Direct Injection).[50] A 2.0 L version was unveiled in the 2008 Explorer America Concept.[50]

In 2009, Ferrari began selling the front-engine California with a direct injection system, and announced the 458 Italia will also feature a direct injection system, a first for Ferrari mid-rear engine setups.[52]Porsche also began selling the 997 and Cayman equipped with direct injection. Ford produced the new generation Taurus SHO and Flex with a 3.5 L twin-turbo EcoBoost V-6 with direct injection.[53] The Jaguar Land Rover AJ-V8 Gen III 5.0 L engine (introduced in August 2009 for the 2010 model year) features spray-guided direct injection.

In 2010Infiniti produced the M56 which includes DI. Motus Motorcycles is developing, with Katech Engines, a direct-injected V4 engine named the KMV4 as the powertrain for their MST motorcycles.

The benefits of direct injection are even more pronounced in two-stroke engines, because it eliminates much of the pollution they cause. In all two-strokes other than those with split-single engines or similarly sophisticated arrangements, the exhaust and intake ports are both open at the same time, at the bottom of the piston stroke, for "scavenging". In conventional two-strokes, a portion of the fuel/air mixture entering the cylinder from the crankcase through the intake ports goes directly out, unburned, through the exhaust port. With direct injection, only air (and usually some oil) comes from the crankcase, and fuel is not injected until the piston rises and all ports are closed.

Bosch were already at work on the mechanical direct injection DKW-Meisterklasse engine at the end of the 1930s with good test results.[55] The Second World War stopped further development.

Some Goliath and Gutbrod two-stroke cars built in the early 1950s had mechanical direct injection developed under Hans Scherenberg’s leadership, but their engines were soon superseded by four-strokes. The two-stroke vehicles showed very good performance and up to 30% less fuel consumption over the carburetor version, primarily under low engine loads.[55] The cars enjoyed an extra benefit as the injection system also metered lubricant into the engine from a dedicated oil tank, obviating the need for owners to mix their own two-stroke fuel blend. A portion of the oil was combined with fuel in the injection pump to lubricate the cylinders and piston rings, the rest was ported to the air intake to lubricate the crankcase.[56] But the cars were expensive and difficult to start when the engine was warm due to vapor locks. Also, very few people knew about direct injection, and the injection pumps needed frequent adjustment. Branded repair shops and Bosch services became overloaded, and many cars were converted to carburetor.

Two types of GDi are used in two-strokes: low-pressure air-assisted, and high-pressure. The former, developed by Orbital Engine Corporation of Australia (now Orbital Corporation) injects a mixture of fuel and compressed air into the combustion chamber. When the air expands it atomizes the fuel. The Orbital system is used in motor scooters manufactured by Aprilia, Piaggio, Peugeot and Kymco, in outboard motors manufactured by Mercury and Tohatsu, and in personal watercraft manufactured by Bombardier Recreational Products.

The high-pressure direct injector for two-stroke engines was developed in the early 1990s by Ficht GmbH of Kirchseeon Germany. Outboard Marine Corporation (OMC) licensed the technology in 1995 and introduced it on a production outboard engine in 1996.[57][58] OMC purchased a controlling interest in Ficht in 1998.[59] Beset by extensive warranty claims for its Ficht outboards and prior and concurrent management-financial problems, OMC declared bankruptcy in December 2000 and the engine manufacturing portion and brands (Evinrude Outboard Motors and Johnson Outboards), including the Ficht technology, were purchased by Bombardier Recreational Products in 2001.[60][61]

Evinrude introduced the E-Tec system, an improvement to the Ficht fuel injection, in 2003, based on U.S. patent 6,398,511.[62] In 2004, Evinrude received the EPA Clean Air Excellence Award for their outboards utilizing the E-Tec system.[63] The E-Tec system has recently also been adapted for use in performance two-stroke snowmobiles.

Yamaha also has a high-pressure direct injection (HPDI) system for two-stroke outboards. It differs from the Ficht/E-Tec and Orbital direct injection systems because it uses a separate, belt driven, high-pressure, mechanical fuel pump to generate the pressure necessary for injection in a closed chamber. This is similar to most current 4-stroke automotive designs.

Although Direct Injection provides more power and efficiency, a carbon build-up occurs in the intake valves that over time reduces the airflow to the cylinders, and therefore reduces power. Fuel contains various detergents and can keep the intakes clean. When fuel is no longer being sprayed in the intake valves, small amounts of dirt from intake air cakes on the intake walls, even with air filters that prevent most of the dirt from entering the cylinder.[67] This build-up can become severe enough that a piece can break off and has been known to burn holes in catalytic converters.[68] It can also cause sporadic ignition failures.[68] These problems have been known for some time and technologies have been improved to reduce the carbon build-up.

Code named Bobcat, the new twin-fuel engine from Ford is based on a 5.0L V8 engine block but uses E85 cylinder injection and gasoline port injection. The engine was co-developed with Ethanol Boosting Systems, LLC of Cambridge, Massachusetts, which calls its trademarked process DI Octane Boost. The direct injection of ethanol increases the octane of regular gasoline from 88-91 octane to the maximum 130 octane. The Bobcat project was unveiled to the United States Department of Energy and the SAE International in April 2009.[69][70]

Amongst other power unit changes, part of the rule changes for the 2014 season, Direct Injection has been made compulsory, With regulation 5.10.2 stating 'There may only be one direct injector per cylinder and no injectors are permitted upstream of the intake valves or downstream of the exhaust valves.' [71]

In 2013, a research by TÜV NORD found that although gasoline direct injection engines dramatically reduce CO2 emissions, they release about 1,000 times more particles classified by the World Health Organization as harmful than traditional petrol engines and 10 times more than new diesel engines. The release happens because direct injection results in uneven burning of fuel due to uneven mixing of fuel and air (stratification) and because direct injection engines operate with a higher pressure in their cylinders than the older engines.

This pollution can be prevented with a relatively inexpensive filter that can significantly reduce the emissions of particles. However, fitting the filter is not mandatory yet.[72]

^"Mitsubishi's new GFI Applications". Automotive Engineering International (Society of Automotive Engineers) 108: 146. 2000. Retrieved 2013-09-09. Mitsubishi has also entered a GDI development pact with PSA of France for Peugeot cars